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They didn’t have good alternatives. Me? If I’m in a rush I can make a perfectly serviceable joint with pocket screws, good enough for many applications. That ta

They didn’t have good alternatives. Me? If I’m in a rush I can make a perfectly serviceable joint with pocket screws, good enough for many applications. That takes far less than 1% the time to make a durable wood-to-wood joint. Durability is the other thing. Much Japanese architecture was very open to the elements, and the joints had to hold solid with seasonable movement. A simple metal fastener like a screw will not do that. Even in a climate-controlled environment most metal-assisted joints are ephemeral compared with simple old tech like wood-to-wood joints and hide glue. There’s also a lot to be said for craft for the sake of it. Once you have every other problem solved — efficiency, cost, durability — why not make it beautiful? I don’t think this extends to every human endeavor. Ornament is often a hazard to maintainability (e.g., an old Bugatti, a new Ferrari, most software), but not always. This type of joinery is complex so that it is maintainable, which is fascinating to me.

yial 3y ago
Part of it has to do with when different adhesives were developed in Japan. If you don’t have adhesives, you use more complex joinery to achieve results. But I believe it was also a desire to have beautifully crafted strong joints. However, rice glue is surprisingly strong when used correctly. WOOD JOINTS IN CLASSICAL JAPANESE ARCHITECTURE By Torashichi Sumiyoshi And Gengo Matsui Is a great resource. “We can only marvel at the solutions adopted. They took into account time dependent process, such as shrinkage or slippage caused by dynamic loading. The intricacy of hte internal structure of the joint si hidden yb the apparent simplicity of its appearance. Various shapes connect into each other with ease. This wisdom si the result of years of patient work; we have much to learn from ing worldwide. is mentioned ni the authors' comments. The purpose of this book Nowadays, joints are made using metal parts. The splices and connecting joints have become much simpler. It si now possible to construct large wooden structures using standard processes. However, the uncertain properties of wood have brought forward the problem of weakening of the joints. This work goes back to the fundamental of joining. It is recommended to all technicians and also to architects and engineers. Yukihiro Kamiyama Professor, Waseda University it.”
- sonofhans 3y ago
  TIL more about rice glue. Thank you, and for the book recommendation.
jajko 3y ago
Not exposure to elements only, Japan has very often earthquakes of various intensities, and what you describe sounds like it should help, at least to certain extent.

yial 3y ago

Part of it has to do with when different adhesives were developed in Japan. If you don’t have adhesives, you use more complex joinery to achieve results. But I believe it was also a desire to have beautifully crafted strong joints. However, rice glue is surprisingly strong when used correctly. WOOD JOINTS IN CLASSICAL JAPANESE ARCHITECTURE By Torashichi Sumiyoshi And Gengo Matsui Is a great resource. “We can only marvel at the solutions adopted. They took into account time dependent process, such as shrinkage or slippage caused by dynamic loading. The intricacy of hte internal structure of the joint si hidden yb the apparent simplicity of its appearance. Various shapes connect into each other with ease. This wisdom si the result of years of patient work; we have much to learn from ing worldwide. is mentioned ni the authors' comments. The purpose of this book Nowadays, joints are made using metal parts. The splices and connecting joints have become much simpler. It si now possible to construct large wooden structures using standard processes. However, the uncertain properties of wood have brought forward the problem of weakening of the joints. This work goes back to the fundamental of joining. It is recommended to all technicians and also to architects and engineers. Yukihiro Kamiyama Professor, Waseda University it.”

sonofhans 3y ago
TIL more about rice glue. Thank you, and for the book recommendation.

jajko 3y ago

Not exposure to elements only, Japan has very often earthquakes of various intensities, and what you describe sounds like it should help, at least to certain extent.